Melting the Ice of the Soul
by AjaxVibe
Summary: Byakuya Kuchiki has been through a lot. He has decided to just give up and shut himself off from the world. Can she get him to open back up to it? Excuse the prologue for being short. I will update soon.
1. Prologue

Slowly the man pulled out a key from the pocket of his hakama. With a silent movement, he turned it in the gate's lock. With a click the lock opened. It creaked as the man pushed on it for entry. It was a slow deliberate push. Every one of his movements seemed to be slower then normal. From his tiny steps, slower then the three legged man of the evening, to his hand slowly reaching out and placing the flowers, he had selected, on the grave. His hair blew across his face, having freed itself from the pony tail he had confined it in. He pushed the hair behind a ear, with a scowl. It was one of the first sign of life in the man. It was however not important at all. He was alone. This time he preferred it to be that way. While normally he was brimming and full of life he just could not find it in himself to be.

It was a chilly despite the spring season. The cold was not unwelcomed though. Neither was the rain, even the heavens seemed to cry with the man standing there. it was a bitter skin biting rain. The fat droplets pounding into the skin, like small balls of ice. It was all so fit to such a tragic day. The elements, from the soft hollowing wind to the grass swaying back and forth, seemed to want a somber mood, for this equally somber event. It was perfect, yet the man standing in the graveyard did not feel so. For the man only felt one thing while standing in the graveyard.

Cold. Byakuya Kuchiki could not feel anything but that deep numbing cold. He stood stoically as they lowered Hisana, his poor wife Hisana, into her grave. All that gripped his heart was a chill spreading from his heart to the rest of his body. It was thankfully dulling the pain. The pain of a love lost, of a love unfulfilled. There was nothing left to remember him of his time his Hisana, but one promise. A promising to his dying wife that he would protect her sister. It was a promise he was going to keep at the gravest of costs. No matter the difficulty, of his quest. Hisana, his sweet Hisana, dead. It was enough to turn his little, very little, smile into a blank face of stoicism. No longer would he wear his emotions on his sleeve. He had tried that with Hisana, and look how well that turned out. He would never forgive himself now. The pressure, from his own family, had caused Hisana to fall ill. The sickness, was in a way, his own fault. No matter. He would first fulfill his promise to Hisana, to rescue and protect her sister Rukia, all the while keeping the fact that she and Hisana were related a secret, and then he would freeze his very soul. No longer would he let his emotions lead him to heartbreak. Never again would Byakuya Kuchiki allow himself to love.

**I am not dead! Finding His Purpose is on rewrite and I am suffering writer's block with Profitable Venture. This just would not leave me alone. What do you guys think? Review please, and please drop some Constructive Criticism.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello again guys. Here is the next chapter.**

**I am going to write my other two stories on weekdays and this on weekends. I hope this speeds up updates.**

**Disclaimer, which I forgot in the prologue: I don't own Bleach. I just borrow the characters so they can fall in love.**

It was a drab, boring meeting. That was how all the meetings had been since that fateful day. Shunsui was parading around proclaiming the greatness of the Gotei 13, for defeating the Vandenreich. The meetings had become less annoying once Shunsui had taken over, his preference being to keep the meetings as short as possible. Still Byakuya would rather be at home. Mindlessly going over his calligraphy. He was at the point were little effort was needed to complete most of his work in the area. It was a skill that he took pride in. Shunsui began to raise his voice, and with a sigh Byakuya forced his attention to return to the meeting.

"Today we lost the Captains of both Fourth as well as the Twelfth. Isane has been recommend, in Former Captain Unohana's will, as the new Captain of Squad Four. Do any gathered here also recommend Isane, for the promotion?" Shunsui had suddenly turned very serious. It was a well known fact that him and the Former Captain of Squad Four had been friends.

Captain Sui Feng stepped out of her place in line. "I recommend Isane Kotetsu for the Position of Captain Four. She has shown herself to be quite efficient in the healing arts, and given time I have no doubt that he will be able to fulfill the position completely." Captain Sui Feng took a single step backward, back impossibly straight, and looked straight into the eyes of Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, more commonly known as Rose.

With a sigh, Rose stepped forward. "Sure I recommend Isane. We need to fill the position as soon as possible." With that brief statement, Rose stepped back into line and looked at Captain of Squad Five. Shinji Hirako shook his head from side to side.

"Sorry Captain Commander, but I just can't recommend Isane. She does not have the experience required for the duties of a Captain." Shinji said. His words startled most of the people present. He was one of the more easy going Captains. Shinji ignored the looks and turned his gaze to look at Byakuya.

Byakuya took only a fraction of a step forward. Looking regal he announced his decision. "I recommend Isane Kotetsu for the position of Captain of Squad Four," and with that brief statement he stepped back into line. No one was surprised by his brief statement. He was well known to have short and quick decisions. Byakuya turned and looked at Captain Sajin Komamura. Sajin nodded and then took a giant step to stand in front of his line.

"I Sajin of Squad Seven recommend Isane Kotetsu be promoted to Captain of Squad Four. She is highly skilled in her work, and the best we have at what she does. Her experience aside, she will grow to learn and master the position well." Sajin turned and took the huge step back into his line. Executing a perfect about face, he turned his head to face Captain Kensei Muguruma.

With a huff, Kensei stepped out in front of his line. His hands remained in the pockets of his hakama as he said, "yah I recommend the brat as well." With that he made his way back to his spot. The man was very unprofessional to say the least. Shunsui seemed to brighten at this.

"So who approves of this besides me!" He asked happily, moon grin spread over his face.

"If it will get this over sure!" Captain Kenpachi Zaraki yelled from his place in line, not bothering to step out and follow edict. The man was indeed barbaric.

"I approve," Captain Jūshirō Ukitake said. He was not being very talkative after Captain Unohana's death. They were very dear friends, and the loss must have hurt the man. Byakuya had faith that Captain Ukitake would recover though. He was a strong willed man.

At that moment all eyes turned to Shinji. Him being the only person left, he nodded. He would not directly recommend Isane it seemed, but he was okay with agreeing to her recommendation.

"So we have one replacement." Shunsui said. "We still have to fill Squad Twelve. That is why with my new abilities and power as Head Captain I reinstate Captain Kisuke Urahara." Silence filled the room. It was not a surprising thing. We had few people of Captain strength left and we need the man power to help rebuild. Captain Urahara could certainly help with his intelligence. "Also with Captain Sui Feng's permission already given, I hereby reinstate Yoruichi Shihōin as Commander of the Onmitsukidō. That came as a suprise. Why would they reinstate Yoruichi Shihōin of all people. She was known for not being the most diligent worker. "Captain Ukitake and me feel as if this war would not have happened if Yoruichi, and the Onmitsukidō in general, had not been able to be manipulated by Central 46. Now this meeting is over please go on with your life." That was all I needed. With a small frown, he began to flash step my way home. This was not a pleasant surprise at all.

Yoruichi Shihōin of all people was being reinstated. She was not what the future Soul Society needed at all. It needed someone who was willing to work hard to help it move forward. Not a being of lax and sloth, but one of discipline and ethics. One like himself. "She is going to fail when she is needed. That is for sure." Byakuya said with certainty. "When she does fail I will have a list of candidates that will have the abilities needed." Byakuya nodded to himself. Arriving at his office, Byakuya sat at his desk. Picking up his brush, he grabbed the first paper off the gigantic stack of papers, on his desk. He began to read the report, something about the recent hollow attacks in the 45th District. The shinigamis put in charge of the incident had succeeded in putting down the hollow. The hollow had the power to control minds. They had lured it out with a Soul Candy stuck in a Gigai. It had been in the process of trying to control the Gigai, when they had struck it down with a simple Shō. It had not been powerful at all, using its abilities to consume souls, not its strength. Signing his name on the bottom of the report, indicating that he had read the report, he put it on a small stack that was just now starting to grow. He sighed, it was looking to be a very long day indeed.

**Short chapter I know, but I had nothing after this. I needed to end it there. Now If you aren't reading my other stories you wont know this, but if you leave a review here, I will send you a teaser in the next chapter Via PM. Sorry if you are not logged in I can't send you a teaser.**

**Review please, I love your guys feedback.**


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